Why These 6 Celebrities Are Estranged From Their Siblings
These celebrities don't feel the sibling love.
Design: YourTango | Photo: taniavolobueva, Kathy Hutchins & FeatureFlash Photo Studio from Shutterstock Family relationships are some of the most important bonds we make in our lifetime, but for some celebrities, these bonds are far beyond repair. While fans only see a life of glamour and success, many don't realize that stars deal with their own personal struggles outside of the spotlight, including estrangement from their own siblings.
Their experiences are a reminder that celebrities are regular people who deal with personal struggles just like anyone else. Take a closer look at the stories that have caused these stars to distance themselves from their brothers and sisters.
Here are six celebrities who are estranged from their siblings:
1. Leonardo DiCaprio
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Leo and stepbrother Adam Farrar were close as children and grew up together in Southern California. Like his stepbrother, Adam was also interested in acting. His IMDb profile shows that he landed small roles in various commercials, television shows, and films.
Unfortunately, Adam's acting career ended in 1999. Adam became a drug addict and encountered several run-ins with the law. He reportedly abducted his own daughter, Leo's niece Normandie, in 2014, then was arrested in Texas shortly after on drug-related charges.
Since then, Adam has not had any contact with Leo. The Daily Mail quoted Adam saying, "I loved him and I still do. But we’ve not spoken in a couple of years. The last time I saw Leo was at his birthday party a couple of years ago."
2. Mariah Carey
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Mariah's older sister, Alison Carey, had a troubled childhood. Their parents divorced in 1973, and 11-year-old Alison chose to go with their dad while 3-year-old Mariah and their older brother Morgan stayed with their mom.
In 2020, Alison filed a lawsuit that claims she was abused by their mother, Patricia Carey, when she was 10 years old. Alison claims that this abuse led to PTSD and fueled her issues with substance abuse as an adult. The case never went anywhere after the initial filing and was left unresolved after Alison passed away in 2024.
In the years after the alleged abuse, Alison married, divorced, and had children multiple times, during which she turned to prostitution and drug use. Mariah was greatly affected by watching her older sister struggle, leading her to avoid substances and promiscuity herself.
3. Meghan Markle
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Meghan and half-sister Samantha Markle have a seventeen-year age difference. Meghan claims that they weren't close growing up, but Samantha has told the media that they had a close relationship until 2018. Meghan and Samantha share a father, Thomas Markle, but Meghan is reportedly estranged from both of them.
Samantha quickly became jealous of Meghan and Prince Harry's relationship and began expressing bitterness and resentment towards Meghan to her daughter, Ashleigh Hale, Meghan's niece. Additionally, Samantha changed her surname to Markle after previously using her husband's last name.
In 2022, Samantha made headlines when she attempted to sue Meghan and Prince Harry for defamation over comments made by the couple in a 2021 interview with Oprah Winfrey, but the case was dismissed with prejudice and she will not be able to refile this lawsuit against them.
4. Niall Horan
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The former One Direction singer has been distanced from his older brother Greg Horan for several years. Greg has previously complained on social media that his followers only care about Niall, and he claimed that he was "living in the shadow of someone who doesn’t care about me."
Their relationship has been strained since Niall rose to fame with One Direction in 2010. However, Niall cut off all communication with his brother in 2017.
Greg was reportedly jealous of Niall's success, and was "looking for an agent to try to make a name for himself away from his brother." He has gone on to make several public and dramatic attacks against Niall, bringing fans to question his mental health.
Niall remains close with Greg's son, Theo, and Greg has expressed that he hopes they will continue to have a good relationship. He has stated, "I can’t wait for Niall to hang out with him when he’s older, I can’t wait to see Niall hug him… Theo deserves everything from Niall."
Greg has also honored Zayn Malik on social media following his tragic death in Argentina in 2024. He wrote, "You are only one of 4 lads I was happy enough to take my place in Niall’s life as a brother."
5. Julia Roberts
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Julia had a tortured relationship with her half-sister Nancy Motes, who claimed that Julia "bullied" her about her weight and caused her to fall into a deep depression.
They had a major falling out in 2018 after Nancy did a tell-all interview in which she accused the actress of isolating her from their sick mother. Julia allegedly "changed her mother's locks and cell phone number" out of spite over Nancy's relationship with their mother.
Nancy tragically took her own life in 2019. She wrote a lengthy suicide note that detailed her fractured relationship with Julia.
Despite the friction between the sisters, Julia was deeply saddened by Nancy's passing. Shortly after, she told WSJ Magazine, "It's just heartbreak. It's only been 20 days. There aren't words to explain what any of us have been through in these last 20 days. It's hour by hour some days, but you just keep looking ahead."
6. Louis Tomlinson
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A second One Direction member is also estranged from a sibling. Louis’ biological father left his mother when Louis was young, and later had a daughter named Georgia Austin in another relationship. She idolized Louis, who was seven years older, and was a huge One Direction fan.
Louis never really had a chance to get to know his half-sister due to his rocky relationship with his father, who is allegedly using Georgia to attempt to re-enter Louis life now that he is rich and famous. He even took Georgia to see Louis perform in concert once, but claimed they “weren’t able to reconnect” at the show.
Louis’ father later threatened to blackmail Louis into letting them into his life by threatening to reveal “bombshell” private information about him. He remains distanced from his biological father. However, he continues to be close to the stepfather who raised him, Mark Tomlinson.
Kayla Asbach is a writer currently working on her bachelor's degree at the University of Central Florida. She covers relationships, psychology, self-help, pop culture, and human interest topics.
